Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: Could a tea named Yerba de meite cause a positive drug test?
QUESTION:
I am a drug urinalysis coordinator with the Coast Guard. I have a member
that is stating the reason why he came up positive for marijuana is that he
drinks a tea named Yerba de Meite. Have you heard of this drink and is this
possible?
ANSWER:
If by Yerba de Meite, the member meant Yerba Mate, the completely legal, widely
available, well-known South American tea, then maybe he should change brands or
go back to coffee. Yerba Mate is a caffeine-rich infusion made primarily from
Ilex paraguayensis, a type of holly that grows in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, etc.
It is not beyond the range of possibility that the brand he uses has other herbs
in it, hence my not altogether flippant suggestion that he change brands. It is
also not beyond the range of possibility that the member is smoking marijuana
and blowing some of the smoke your way, so to speak. And, although I know of no
compounds in Ilex paraguayensis or mate mixtures without marijuana in them that
interfere with THC analysis, who knows, there might be.
I think justice might be served best if you were to find out his source of mate,
get some from the same source yourself and analyze that material for THC or
whatever component the Coast Guard is interested in. Regardless of the results
from that investigation, I would also order him to quit using mate, since he
now "knows" it interferes with the drug screen and subsequent violations will
be on his head. Giving him a second chance may not meet all the macho
requirements of zero tolerance, but will cover you in case he is telling the
truth and if he is fibbing, he would know he can't get away with faking it
again...